Embodiments of the present invention relate to user interfaces, and in particular, to the manner in which data is input by a user into a user interface.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Conventionally, when filling out a complex business document, a user must manually access a plurality of input fields and then enter data thereto. Often, one or more of these input fields are text fields requiring a user to type in characters utilizing a keyboard.
Thus an input sequence to a conventional user interface may typically comprise:
manually navigating to the input field in the document with a mouse or other input device (e.g. TAB key of a keyboard);
entering the desired text in the field; and then
manually navigating to the next field by using the mouse or other input device.
Such activities involve substantial physical activity and coordination, with the user having to visually locate multiple input fields, navigate to access those input fields (e.g. by pointing, clicking), and then enter relevant information into those input fields (e.g. by typing).
Furthermore, some input fields may require entry of mandatory data. These mandatory input fields could be distributed across a complex business document, or hidden on inactive screens of a multi-screen application.
Manual activity in identifying and navigating to a plurality of input fields may be both time-consuming and error-prone, particularly where the user is outside of a standard workplace environment (e.g. on a train) and/or attempting to enter relevant information into a hand-held device having a small screen and keyboard (e.g. a smart phone).
The present disclosure addresses these and other issues by providing user interfaces having a generic input field.